Nondiscrimination ordinance issue deserves listening to all sides

The citizen task force studying discrimination issues is facing some divisive concerns as it researches a proposal amending the city's nondiscrimination ordinance to include protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

That is why we applaud the newly formed task force's efforts to consider both a wide range of views on that topic and the basics of its own role.

When the Springfield City Council took up the proposed amendment last summer, it resulted in a public debate that finally persuaded the council to table the proposal. Mayor Bob Stephens appointed the 15-member citizen task force to look more carefully at the proposal and determine whether it should be added to the ordinance.

The city is fortunate to have retired Judge Miles Sweeney leading the task force. He has rightfully reminded task force members of the questions they need to answer: Do we need the ordinance? Is there a problem worth addressing?

We would add another question to ponder. Is it the right thing to do?

The task force is made up of people who bring in a variety of viewpoints and concerns, including those who represent religious organizations with tenets that reject anything outside of heterosexual behavior, as well as those who represent organizations that work closely with people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered.

It is important that all of the task force members listen carefully to each other. That is what was missing from the presentations before the City Council in August. Everyone was so determined to get their own point of view aired that they failed to pay much attention to dissenting views.

This is a unique opportunity for the community, through news coverage of the task force meetings, to hear all of those views without the added distractions of crowded council chambers and high anxieties.

We recognize that some people will never agree on this subject. Closely held views, especially those that come out of religious beliefs and personal experiences, are hard to compromise. But giving each view a fair hearing and considering each person's argument will go a long way to understanding the issues at stake, discovering shared concerns and finding a fair way to address them.

The News-Leader Editorial Board has expressed its support of the amendment, but we are also interested in hearing from all sides.

A civil conversation may be just the thing we all need.

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Nondiscrimination ordinance issue deserves listening to all sides

The citizen task force studying discrimination issues is facing some divisive concerns as it researches a proposal amending the city's nondiscrimination ordinance to include protections based on